A faster and more rational transfer policy tops the wish-list of women employees of State Bank of India as they look to their new Chairperson, Arundhati Bhattacharya, with expectant eyes.
Expectations have soared among women employees, at least in cities, after Bhattacharya took over the reins of the country’s largest bank. They expect their boss to empathise more with their concerns.
When Bhattacharya took over earlier this week, she said that she will try to make “spousal” transfers faster and effective.
Most women employees, we spoke to, were welcoming of their new boss. An employee named Geeta Aravind said: “As a woman, it is a very proud moment for all of us. She seems co-operative, ethical and enterprising.
We hope she will let women stay in the same circle as it will help in enhancing the productivity of all women employees,’’ Geeta said.
“While other women have reached the top positions in ICICI, Axis Bank and HSBC… being the chairperson of SBI is prestigious,” Geeta said adding that 2013 is the year of women.
Faster transfers
A young employee named Charu Singh said: “It is not as if we don’t get transfers. It would be nice if they are made a lot faster.”
Charu joined SBI about two years ago and hails from Delhi. She said that this new appointment is a “very proud moment” for all of us and there are a lot of expectations.
Higher productivity
However, a few others felt that they expect Bhattacharya to ease some procedurally “in-efficient” norms like multiple reporting and employees having to focus on too many circulars if she wanted improved productivity.
Bhattacharya, in her address to her 2.25 lakh employees, had said that employees must strive towards higher productivity.
“We end up doing a lot of routine stuff. It leaves us with very little time to implement innovative ideas,” a woman employee said. She did not wish to be identified.
Rural posting
She also said that since rural posting is mandatory for officer-level employees, employees should be given the option to choose the timing of such a stint.
“If this can be done, then we can plan our rural stint better sometime in the first 20 years of our service,” she said. “We are not saying no to rural posting.”
At SBI, the employee said: “We lack bottom-up communication. People at branch level are sceptical to speak to bosses.’’
“Informal meetings with women employees will help,” she added.